Have You Seen Me Lately?
by FloodFeSTeR
Summary: When a childhood friend is maimed by her boyfriend, Penny becomes her care taker until she can get back on her feet. With a permanent scar, a host of mental issues and the questionable eye of a slightly unstable Sheldon Cooper, this can't end well.
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N: _**_Because I'm not a very smart person…I mean, I am. I've been reading at a twelfth grade level since I was five. I excelled at Science, History and English/Literature – Math, eh, I'm brain dead with it – but I don't do scientific terms and I know I could just look up some shtick to put in here but that just seems like a pain in the ass. So excuse is the guys seem a little out of character._

**_Warning (s): _**_Dark themes. I don't have the space to list them all so just take my word on it. I will put warnings at the beginning of a chapter if I think anyone will be offended and to prevent triggering. _

_Please review, let me know what you think. Chapters get better and longer, I promise._

* * *

_"Step out the front door like a ghost  
into the fog where no one notices the contrast  
of white on white. And in between the  
moon and you, the angels get a better  
view of the crumbling difference  
between wrong and right. I walk in the air  
between the rain, through myself and back again.  
Where? I don't know.  
Maria says she's dying  
though the door I hear her crying  
Why? I don't know."_

\- **Round Here, Counting Crows**

* * *

If he hadn't opened that door, he would have never seen her.

Leonard would argue that he would have eventually seen her, she had moved in with Penny after all; of course, Penny quietly informed everyone that her new roommate had not intended to leave the confines of Penny's guest room.

But he _had _opened that door.

He _had_ seen her.

He had listed her physical appearance obsessively (of course, he didn't know he had done so 'obsessively'); he was most intrigued by her eyes. They were a rare shade of turquoise and it was something to be amazed by, even for someone like him. How often do you see _turquoise _eyes?

* * *

"This is my friend, Rita."

Penny stood beside the small 'Rita' with a proud smile on her face, hands clasped in front of her floral print dress. This 'Rita' looked so out of place, it was startling. No one – not even Sheldon – dared asked why her right eye was taped over with gauze, but they didn't avoid it. Just didn't acknowledge it. When it was Sheldon's turn to introduce himself, Penny held her breath, concerned on whether he would scare Rita off like he usually did with people.

Sheldon gave her a twitch of a smile. "Sheldon, and yes, I know, it's a pleasure."

Penny rolled her eyes in time with Leonard; Raj and Howard were muttering amongst themselves, not paying attention to the going on's on front of them. But, if they had, if Penny and Leonard were paying as much attention as they should, they would have seen the way she looked up at Sheldon. That one, wide, eye rolling up to meet his. They would have seen the way her pupil dilated and would have seen the way her jaw twitched in an effort to keep that grin down.

"Hello, Sheldon," she whispered.


	2. Chapter 2

**_A/N:_**_Going ahead and saying it – this story will be very fast paced but we won't get into the main plot line for a moment._

* * *

The third time he saw her, she acted as though they had never met.

He had cornered her in the small space between his apartment door, and her and Penny's apartment door. She was frozen, long fingers of her right hand curled around the cold handle of her door, knuckles white in their strain; her veins were busted beneath the skin of her right index fingers knuckle. He stared at her back wordlessly, having just caught her attention by nearly shouting _Hey!. _The small space they were in was quiet, tense – on her end. He didn't understand why she was so on edge. He had done nothing to give her reason to be fearful of him.

Had he?

Finally, she looked over her shoulder at him, that eye of hers still bandaged.

_So tiny. . ._

_So fragile. . ._

"Sheldon," she gave him a curt nod.

"You are home alone," he hummed.

Her shoulders tensed, as if waiting for him to attack. "Yes," she looked back to the door. "Penny is getting groceries," she hesitated and looked back at him, her shoulders straightening further than before. "You too?"

He nodded. "Leonard went shopping with Penny."

Her brow furrowed. "Then why did you ask me if. . ."

Silence wrapped around them again while Rita pieced together the puzzle in her head; she only came to one corner. But to him, there _was_ no puzzle to piece together. He didn't know where he was going with his words, but somewhere, deep in the back of his subconscious, he knew it would lead to nowhere good.

"I'm going to lay down," she muttered hastily, opening the door. "Goodnight Sheldon."

As the door clicked shut, he felt left out, he felt cast out. Was she afraid of him? If so, why?

He would learn.

* * *

Her fingers curled in the sheets, her chest arched and she let out a sharp gasp.

**Help.**

_"She was a dancer before. . .before it finally got to her. . ."_

_**Burning**__**.**_

_"You know what it's like to lose everything you've ever worked for. . ."_

**She's **_**burning.**_

* * *

"Penny, I would like to talk to you about your 'friend', Rita."

Penny froze over her to-go cup of udon noodles, her fork inches from her lips. Sheldon was staring down at his own food, eating calmly, like he was just talking about Halo; which he hadn't mentioned all night, even though they had all blown off Halo night for food, they were all just so tired from the week. Leonard and Howard looked over at Penny as well, curious about why he was brining Rita up.

Sheldon and Penny had the most interaction with her; of course, Sheldon had only spoken to her once – when he cornered her in the hallway – but still. The rest of the group, even Leonard, had no luck with getting Rita to come out of her room. She stayed locked up, all day, every day, and Penny said she only came out to eat and even that was a short affair.

Penny cleared her throat a little and lifted her head, setting her food on the edge of the table. "What uh. . .what would you like to. . .hear? Yeah, hear."

Sheldon looked over at her, lips lightly pursed. "I was wondering if I could request an audience with her, I know it is something you can arrange for me."

"For you," Penny muttered. "Um. . .I guess I can talk to her about it. . ."

He smiled that tight lipped smile everyone was used to and set his food down. "Perfect," he stood. "Now, if you will all excuse me. . ."

As he scuttled away to his room, everyone shared a confused look. No detailed explanation as to why he was leaving? No over-explanation of why he even _wanted _to see Rita? Penny shook her head and dove back into her food, trying to snuff out the curiosity for why Sheldon wanted to meet Rita. He never voluntarily wanted to meet anyone, this was intriguing.

And that was putting it mildly.

"Think we could meet her too?"

Penny glared at Leonard. "I don't even know why I'm agreeing to letting _Sheldon_ meet her."

"Why can't any of us meet her," Raj muttered.

Penny sighed and set her food back down, rubbing her forehead harshly in aggravation. "Look, Rita is. . .she moved in with me for a reason and she's not ready for social interactions. How about one at a time and seeing as Sheldon asked first. . ."

"Fine, fine," Leonard waved a hand and then smiled at her. "It's fine, really."

She supposed it was. It was just Sheldon, she knew Sheldon. And, even though he was annoying most of the time and he was sort of too much for even most people to handle, she believed in Rita. She wasn't putting enough faith into her friend.

* * *

_"Rita?"_

Penny?

_"Rita. . .open the door please."_

**She couldn't see her.**

Open the door?

_"Rita, are you alright?"_

Her eye opened and she sat up, unclenching her fingers from the sheets. She grimaced at the way her sheets clung to her skin and peeled herself away from her bed, stumbling towards the door. She leaned against the doorframe for a moment and then unlocked the door, opening it just enough to see who it was. Penny. She opened the door fully and looked back at the bed.

"I'm sorry I. . ." her voice died out.

Penny looked to the bed and just smiled tenderly at Rita. "It's ok, sweetheart, really. Now, I wanted to talk to you about something. . ."

Rita looked up from under her brow, looking like a child ready for a scolding. "Wh-What is it?"

Penny sighed. "So, you remember Sheldon, right?"

Her heart fluttered and she crossed her arms over her chest. "Yeah. . ."

"Well, he wanted to know if you would like to talk to him. Well, he said he would like to have an audience with you, but still. For Sheldon, that is a way of saying he wants to talk," Penny took in a deep breath; where was she going with this?

Rita looked up at her, that eye wide and curious. Sheldon. . .wanted to talk to her? All she could see was his face, that peculiar, round, face, staring at her with such alien eyes. What did he want to talk to her about? She was actually curious about him, why his name made her chest swell and ache.

"Sure," she mumbled, almost too low for Penny to hear.

Penny smiled a little. "Alright, I'll tell him that you're willing to speak to him."

Rita smiled as well, fidgeting in her place. "Thank you. . .now, where can I wash my sheets?"

Penny frowned at that. "Well, the washers are downstairs."

Her palms instantly became sweaty and she began to wring her wrists together nervously. Penny sensed her distress and hurriedly told Rita she would do it herself, that it was no problem.

"Thank you," Rita muttered. "I hate feeling like a burden."

Penny shook her head and almost pat her on the shoulder but thought better of it and retracted her hand. Rita looked like she felt horrible – for cringing at Penny whenever she tried to touch her. She couldn't help it, that was just a fact about Rita that couldn't be helped. Penny wished her young friend would understand she was just fine the way she was, that Penny understood and didn't mind the way Rita acted when proposed with human contact.

Hell, she didn't even like animals touching her.

"Look," Penny muttered, beginning to pull up the sheets to the bed. "I know you're not really comfortable with talking to him and all. . ."

"No," Rita pressed her back against the wall beside the door. "It's fine, really. I'm fine with talking to him. . .so long as he doesn't touch me."

"Oh don't worry, Sheldon is not a big fan of human-contact. You don't have to worry about it. And he won't try to take you out. So, that's cool."

Rita didn't say anything, didn't need to. She had been thinking about speaking to him for days, since he approached her in the hallway. Since Penny introduced them in his apartment. It was some insane fascination with the lanky man living across the hall that was driving her to sleepless nights. It had only been a week but still, Rita was concerned.

The same problem had put her in Penny's apartment in the first place.

"Well, when does he want to come over?"

They both looked to the door, hearing the knocking; to Penny, it was familiar.

_Knock, knock, knock_

"Penny."

_Knock, knock, knock_

"Penny."

As he continued his ritualistic knocking, Penny sighed and stood straight, sheets in her arms. "Speak of the devil."

Rita looked out the bedroom door with a curious look on her face. "Why does he do that?"

"Who the hell knows," Penny grumbled, walking out into the living room.

Rita shuffled behind her, heart fluttering as she watched Penny approached the front door. When she pulled it open, Sheldon swept in without touching her, eyes running over the room. When he saw Rita, he straightened his back, he looked over at Penny.

"So?"

Penny put a hand on her hip. "She said yes," she gestured at Rita, who had yet to move from the hallway. "Why don't you talk to her? She _is _right there."

Sheldon pursed his lips and Rita cocked her head to the side, stepping out of the hallway. He approached her, keeping a comfortable distance while she still looked like he was holding her at point blank range. Her eyes were wide, her hands squeezed tight around her middle. When they didn't speak, Penny sighed, catching their attention.

"Well guys, I'm gonna go wash these sheets. Sheldon, can you keep her company for me? Please," she looked over at Rita. "If that's alright with you?"

Rita hesitated then looked up at Sheldon. "Yeah. . .yeah that's alright. . ."


	3. Chapter 3

_**Eek, I can't even begin to apologize fors between then and now: kittens, pneumonia, I have a vidro game problem and I actually did kind of lose interest in what I had, mostly because I have to go so damn slow, which is not my style. But, for the moment, I'm back and you have to excuse the shortness of this chapter and possibly the next. This is mostly a filler chapter and I also need to get back into the rythm. But don't let that deter you from reading and enjoying!**_

* * *

_She remembers being crazy._

**_Not one step closer! Closer!_**

_She remembers the _**burning **_and the odd stares, the way everyone seemed to just. . .**melt away.**_

_"Rita!"_

_Yes, call my name, call **my name. **Its all about control. Control. Control._

**_"Rita!"_**

* * *

Rita felt funny when he was around.

But, going by what Penny had told her about Sheldon, he always made people feel odd. Annoyed, Loathsome. Like they wanted to punch him in the jaw. Rita didn't feel like anything Penny described.

She felt. . ._funny._

And she was pretty sure she wasn't going to (or was supposed to) share that with Penny. He was examining her, that she was used to though from different sources. Penny hadn't shared much about Sheldon, mostly into talking about his roommate and her boyfriend - Leonard - though that was perfectly reasonable. She wasn't dating Sheldon, so there was no interest in sharing.

But Rita was very interested. And her conscious kept saying _'No!'_

She looked up when she heard him clear his throat, watching the muscles contract around his jaw and his fingers tap against the armrest; nervous. His eyes drew to her and she saw so much: agitation, curiosity, confusion, concern, amusement. It was a whirlwind and he hadn't even spoke; it was like being stuck in the hallway with him again.

"What happened to your eye," straightforward.

Rita tensed up, fingers tightening around each other in her lap. "An accident. . ." she muttered, looking down. "Got hit with a piece of glass."

He hummed. "That doesn't just happen."

She looked back up. "I'd rather not talk about it."

He bobbed his head in an odd way and Rita saw a familiar tick; no. "Fair enough. Do you have a job?"

Finally, a common ground.

"Ballet."

"Ballet?"

She nodded. "Classical, I was about to go on tour when I. . .had my accident."

"I believe there are classes downtown. Perhaps you could teach."

Why was he speaking to her? Why did he care? Rita stared at him with that one big eye long enough to make him uncomfortable. Did he even know why he came over here? Surely not to just be a good neighbor -

When had he sat beside her?

Rita leaned back, away from him, but he was studying her like a lab rat. He reached out and she flinched, wanting to shrink up and slip between the couch cushions. She froze as the tips of his fingers ran across the edge of her bandages, into her hair; his pupils were dilated. She didn't move for what seemed like minutes when it had in fact only been seconds, letting him feel across her tense skin. Her muscles twitched, contracted in mild pain when he lingered too close to the edge of the bandages.

His jaw was slightly slack, limp and lazy, eyes a bit hooded but he still looked alert, if not a little lost in that head of his.

Rita was more than uncomfortable.

"Sheldon," she mumbled.

His lids fluttered for a moment. "Fascinating. . ." he whispered.

Rita scrambled away when she heard the door handle rattle, the noise having jump started her heart into paranoia again. Sheldon stood, looking around as though he had no idea where he was. Rita looked away, to Penny, who was laughing at Leonard, oblivious to the tension having just blossomed between her friend and her neighbor. She swallowed and looked back to Sheldon, expecting him to be excusing himself.

But he was just staring at her.

And she couldn't look away.

* * *

What was she going to do?

"Sweetie. . ."

Rita shrugged Penny away, who was just trying to console her. She didn't want to give her the cold shoulder, really, but it was a coping mechanism and this would take some work. Her whole career was based on her appearance and grace and now both were scarred. The doctor was a bad idea, but the bandages needed to be removed, the area cleaned with skilled hands, not her clumsy ones.

"What am I gonna do, Penny," she whimpered, fingertips grazing wrinkled skin.

The blonde shrugged, reaching out but retracting her hand when she knew it would only cause discomfort. For both of them.

Rita had screamed when she came home, saw that gangly scar and the pruned skin around the edges. She was never vain, no, but even Rita had a limit to her appearance and the scarring would be the final straw. Penny had seen that straw break her, had the bruises on her forearms to prove the struggle Rita had put up in not breaking something else in her hysteria; there was a broken lamp, hand soap up the wall and a cracked mirror to clean up. Thankfully no one had been home next door, so Penny could cover easily.

"I don't know sweetie," she brushed back a strand of hair from her forehead. "Just take your time, this is a lot to take in. You can stay here for as long as you like."

Rita looked over at her friend and the corner of her mouth twitched slightly. "Thank you, Penny."

"No problem," she smiled. "Its what friends do. . .oh, and speaking of friends," she stood. "I gotta go."

Rita's one eye turned terrified. "Where are you going?"

Penny paused with a hand on the doorknob. "Uh, right. I'm going to Leonard and Sheldon's apartment for dinner," she noticed Rita perk up. "You wanna come? Everyone will be there and I'd really like them to meet you. Especially Leonard."

Her boyfriend.

Rita gave her a weak smile. "Maybe another time."

Penny nodded and gave her a thumbs up. "Progress though!"

Rita didn't want to smile but couldn't help it as she mirrored the action. "Progress. . ."

* * *

"She's blind in her right eye."

The room fell silent in the midst of dinner. Raj shifted uncomfortably, Howard and Bernadette shared a look, Leonard read only concern. And Sheldon had basically froze over his own food, which was a mild curiosity. Penny was slowly picking at her food but hadn't eaten, that Leonard had noticed. She kept her head down and muttered every once in awhile but no one had really said anything about it. Don't pry unless offered, especially when it came to Penny. Nine out of ten she'd just get huffy and storm out of the room.

Bernadette spoke first, looking more heartbroken than Penny. "Th-That's awful," she squeaked.

Penny nodded and brushed her hair back. "Its bad. . .when the doctor removed the bandages, she screamed," _and done so again when we got home, but I don't think they need to know about that fight. _"Rita isn't self conscious really but she was a dancer. She can't go out there with a scar on her face, not one like this."

"How bad is it," Howard looked down.

Penny looked down as well, nibbling on a bite of luke warm mush. "Her eye is milky and bloodshot, there's a deep-ish cut running down almost to her cheek bone. Not something you can cover with makeup."

"What happened," Sheldon prodded.

"Boyfriend."

"But how, why?"

Penny glared. "Look, she hasn't even told me the full story," _liar._ "So mind your own business. If she wanted you to know she would have told you."

Sheldon gave her a narrowed look and shook his head. "Was only curious. . ."

Bernadette cleared her throat. "Well, is there anything we can do? Support? Talk to her? Anything."

Penny shrugged. "The best way to handle it is to leave her alone. Rita won't take pity or let anyone try to comfort her. Not her way, just gotta let her work it out on her own I guess. . ."

The room fell silent for a long moment then normal chatter replaced the awkwardness; Leonard watched Penny, who seemed a little better having spoke about her friends problem. It must be hard, Leonard could only imagine, and by the time they had shut everything down - sent Bernadette, Howard and Raj home, shooed Sheldon off to bed - the curiosity was eating at him. He and Penny settled into the couch - Penny in Sheldon's spot out of spite - and the silence was comforting, but ringing. He had to ask.

"He uh. . ."Penny looked over at him, face blank. "He tried to kill her. . .didn't he?"

It took a moment and Leonard thought he had asked too soon, but he saw a tear stream down her cheek. Penny wiped it away and sniffed a little, nodding heavily and trying not to sob.

"Yeah. . .yeah, he tried to kill her."


	4. Chapter 4

**_PLEASE READ AUTHORS NOTE, NECESSARY::_**

**_I apologize far too much because of these lulls, but I got a beautiful new phone that I can type full chapters on without problems. I will officially stop apologizing with this chapter and updates will come semi – regularly. Hope you all enjoy, though this story may be short lived. I'm backed up with new story ideas that pop up every five seconds because of Jurassic World, Avengers and Supernatural, I need to make time and I don't want this to go but dammit, I don't know. I've already deleted at least five of my stories and two I got ahead of myself with posting. I don't want this to be on hiatus because you all deserve better – the fav's and follows are beautiful, reviews are a bit lacking though *hint hint* - and it seems I already have had it in hiatus so that seems unfair._**

_**Opinions? Not a ploy for reviews, I genuinely want to know if I need to keep this up or not. If you have an account, you can private message me, that works just as good.**_

_**And yes, this chapter is very short, but I'm threading together a very long chapter right now. The next chapter gets into the good stuff so this'll be a minute to work out and filter all the kinks.**_

* * *

She wakes up Penny in the middle of the night, and Penny is immediately on alert.

"Is he here," she kicks off her blankets, trying desperately to get the gunk out of her eyes.

Rita felt an instant pang of guilt in her chest, for having woken up Penny in the middle of the night. But she had to talk, it couldn't wait until morning and she couldn't sleep. Penny was her best friend, her confidant, and this _couldn't wait_.

"No," Rita whispered, perched beside Penny at the edge of her bed. "I'm sorry, I just. . .I needed to talk."

Penny paused, nodding slowly as she adjusted herself where she sat, covering her legs again with the blanket. "Alright," she mumbled, brushing her hair back from her face and rubbing her face very thoroughly with her hands, smacking her cheeks a little and doing a bunch of weird stuff with her face. "Alright, I'm up, let's talk."

Rita licked her bottom lip and hesitated. "I. . .I want to talk about Sheldon."

Penny tensed, pursing her lips a little, chewing on the inside of her left cheek for good measure. "What about him," she paused. "He didn't do anything stupid, did he? He's a real idiot some times."

Rita shook her head and almost chuckled, but decided against it; she didn't really know if she had it in her to produce a vocal chuckle. "No, no he just. . ." she scratched at the tender edges of her wounded eye. "The other day he. . ._touched _me."

Penny's eyes widened and she leaned towards Rita, who leaned back, giving Penny a weird look. "Sheldon _touched _you," Rita nodded slowly. "Leonard's roommate, Sheldon? Sheldon Cooper."

Rita reached out, clasping Penny's hands in her own. "Yes, Penny, that Sheldon Cooper. You seem. . .spooked about this."

Penny blinked a couple of times then pulled her hands away from Rita's, pushing her hair back with a small smile on her lips. "I'm shocked," she smiled fully at Rita, who looked like she was scared of what Penny would say next. "Sheldon has this phobia of touching people. . .and he's been asking about you. I think little Shelly has a crush on you."

Well, didn't _that _cause a torrent of many, many mixed emotions.

Fear. Guilt. Butterflies. . .so many, she got a head rush.

Penny's face instantly creased in worry as Rita stood, holding her head in her hands. "Damn," Rita mumbled, staring down at the floor.

"You okay," the worry in Penny's voice was enough to make Rita look up, concerned herself.

Rita nodded, rubbing the back of her neck in thought, but only for a moment. "Just a little. . .I don't know how to process this."

"I wouldn't either. Sheldon Cooper crushing on a girl – thought he was a damn android for the longest time."

"An android?"

Penny shrugged, leaning against her headboard. "It was one of many theories," Rita chuckled a little and Penny warmed at the sound. She looked over at the alarm clock on her bedside table and smacked her thighs, wiggling to her feet. "It's early, you hungry?"

Rita nodded. "Yeah. I'll make coffee."

_Normalcy._

Rita was already feeling normal here with Penny.

She didn't have to worry about Penny flying off the handle if Rita woke her up, she could actually talk to Penny about boys again, and it had been so many years. Penny was trying to go about her normal routine with just a little more tender touch around Rita and she had to admit, it was helping. Rita hated it when people walked on eggshells around her, like she had breakdowns all the time. Like she had always been the one perched on a glass wall, rocking and only hoping it wouldn't shatter.

No, Penny treated her like a person, only pulling that routine when Rita freaked out, which surprisingly hadn't been much since she had moved it. Rita wanted to feel normal again so desperately, she hadn't been so in years.

And she didn't think if she could ever have it fall again.

* * *

Penny left for work earlier than Rita realized, but that didn't bother her in the slightest. After she saw Penny out she decided to pick up, mostly for the sake of the room itself; Penny really was a messy person. Rita was slow in her process, really just trying to pass time more than anything, but once she saw the improvements it hit her self esteem a little and she rewarded herself with a very long shower filled with copious amounts of silent sobs and – she was ashamed to admit it – soft moans.

Sheldon lingered in the back of her mind as she got dressed and sat on her bed, fingers fidgeting in her lap.

She hadn't thought about where to go with him and she had forgotten to really talk to Penny about it. In truth, she knew it would all come down to just what she decided and who knew if she and Penny would agree on the path she should take. It was too early to think about approaching Sheldon with the idea/subject, she wasn't even sure if she wanted to but the fact that she was thinking about it so thoroughly meant that her subconscious was screeching _do it!_

"I'm losing my fucking mind," she muttered.

She shouldn't be thinking about this, she shouldn't be thinking about him but he made her stomach flip and flop and do all these weird things. She felt like she was sick to her stomach. She ran a hand through her hair and looked around, lying back on the bed and ruffling the sheets. A boy had gotten her into this situation and she wouldn't go after another man – a stranger – after she had just gotten away.

After she had _survived._

A faint knock made Rita jump and she looked at her bedroom door. Who the hell could be looking for her this time of the day? Rita tensed as she got to her feet, shuffling into the living room and staring at the door when another rasp sounded. She didn't call out what, she didn't even think the word what, but she wanted to know what the hell was on the other side of that door. Wasn't Sheldon, wasn't Penny, could be another one of Penny's friends but wouldn't they say something? She listened, the knocking gone and replaced with stale silence. She cocked her head to the side and waited another beat.

Must have left.

No sooner had the thought popped up, the knocking started again. Rita let out a defeated sigh and cleared her throat, holding her hands close to her throat.

"Wh – Who is it?"

A long pause.

She really was losing her fucking mind.

"Rita?"

Everything in her _chilled_, like she was being held under icy water. That voice, that fucking _voice_. No, no he couldn't be out there, he couldn't be calling her name and he couldn't even know where she was. It was impossible. He was in jail, he was far away in jail, a jail he couldn't get out of.

Right?


	5. Chapter 5

The first thing he does when he gets home is ask about _her_.

But Penny won't let him into the apartment when she says there's been an accident.

"What happened," Sheldon bounces, looking over Penny's head. "Does Rita need to go to the hospital? Does she need help now? Can I -"

"_Sheldon_," Penny snaps, nails thrumming a heady pattern on the flat surface of her door. "She doesn't want anyone bothering her right now, okay? Just had a little accident and I can handle this on my own."

And the door was promptly slammed in his face, which irked him. He scowled at the door and then _hmphed_, crossing the hall to his apartment.

Leonard looked up when he did, arching an eyebrow at the pout he was sporting. Sheldon and pouting. . .yeah, this couldn't be good. Leonard sighed and closed his laptop, looking over at Sheldon, who was now slouching in his computer chair.

"Hey buddy," Leonard murmured. "Everything okay?"

Sheldon glared at him and Leonard raised his hands in defense; honestly, he didn't care about what Sheldon was pouting about. He was worried about the fact that Penny was sheltering a flight risk. Yes, Rita was her friend, her oldest friend, but Leonard had heard screams, Penny begging Rita for something and then crying. He hadn't said anything, just put his earbuds in. Because that's what Penny told him to do if anything happened.

"Rita is possibly injured and Penny would not allow me to administer the proper treatment. She won't let me in the apartment."

"Well," Leonard sighed. "What did she say happened, exactly?"

"Rita had a little accident."

"Aaaaand don't you think that could mean anything? Never know, she could have peed herself."

Sheldon's face twisted into disgust and Leonard chuckled. "Rita would never do such a thing," he bit out. "She is a lady."

"Sounds like someone has a crush on the new girl."

Sheldon scowled even deeper. "You surely do not mean me."

"No, I mean Roger on the second floor."

Sheldon bobbed his head, arms crossed over his chest. "Good."

Leonard rolled his eyes and waved a hand at Sheldon. "I did mean you, you jackass."

Sheldon looked slightly offended, but only for a moment. Then he looked down at his laptop and sat completely still, which actually wasn't that unusual, so Leonard just went back to his work.

A crush on Rita? _Preposterous!_. . .but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He had only ever had one other crush and that didn't go so well, which was a dominating factor into why he preferred no contact to any contact at all. He'd rather sit alone than have someone have such unbelievable power over an emotion that seemed to rule everything in the body, come into his life and just destroy everything he was believed to be against.

He didn't want to admit he _liked_ Rita.

* * *

"_He was there, God dammit_," Rita screeched, taking a step back when Penny tried to approach her.

It'd been like this since Penny had gotten home and found her huddled in the shower with a large knife in her hand. After some struggling, Penny had pried the knife from her hand and threw it somewhere, having to wrestle her out of the bathroom, only to have her hide in a corner of her bedroom. She was pale and shaking, like she had seen a ghost - like she had heard her attacker outside that door, and she was convinced he really was there.

"Rita," Penny pleaded. "He's in jail, he won't be getting out for a long time. Its _impossible _for him to be here."

Rita shook her head fiercely. "_He was there!_" she wailed, slumping down onto the edge of her bed. "He was there, Penny," her face was twisted in horror as Penny sat beside her. "I _heard him_."

Penny wrapped an arm around Rita's shoulders and pulled her against her side, feeling the woman shaking with sobs she didn't hear. She wanted her to be able to forget about him. She wanted Rita to no longer be haunted by a man she herself had once thought kind and sweet; they had grown up together, for Gods sake. He had been so cute and charming. . .it was always that way though, right? Charming and beautiful, sadistic and pure evil.

"I'm so sorry," Penny whispered, holding her tight against her side. "We can get through this, Rita. We can. I won't let him touch you again."

She'd rip his fucking throat out for touching Rita. For thinking he had the power to take away the bubbly dancer Penny had loved since elementary school. Best friends from day one and Penny was her protector. But where the Hell was she when he attacked her the first time? Chasing some fucking acting dream and it tore Penny apart.

Rita shook her head. "He won't hurt you like he did me," she whispered. "I can't let this happen to you."

Penny sighed. "He won't hurt me, Rita," he wouldn't hurt anyone ever again.

Rita wiggled out of Penny's arms, standing on shaky legs. "I can't let you get hurt," Rita whispered.

Penny sighed, on the edge of frustration. "You need to get out."

Rita blanked at that, expecting something. . .different. "Huh?"

Penny stood, placing her hands on her hips. "You need to get out," Rita looked like she was starting to panic and Penny backpedaled. "And I don't mean go to a club and get wasted. Come have dinner with me and the gang, okay? They're good people."

Rita stared at Penny for a long time, that squirrely look in her eyes making Penny nervous. Finally, she sighed and hung her head, looking like she had just gotten the death sentence.

"Fine," she murmured, brushing her hair back.

Penny rolled her eyes. "Well don't sound so happy, Rita," at the sign of a small smile, Penny grinned. "There we go. Don't worry, nothing is gonna go wrong and you're gonna be fine."

Rita nodded slowly. "I hope so."

* * *

She's introduced slowly, like a feral cat.

Everyone moves slow at first, says hi, says their name, shakes her hand and Penny brings her food to her. Sheldon and Leonard's apartment is decorated brightly and it has the feeling of home with bright smiles and bright colors.

Action figures, a diploma and other novelty items hang on the walls, line shelves and there is a wide array of electronics surrounding the television. Wires criss cross and laptops are closed, the tv plays some show nobody cares about because their talking and Rita just sits beside Penny, quietly nursing the mystery food in a carton.

"Don't talk much huh," Howard leans forward, catching Rita's attention. "Come on, we're all friends."

"Howie," Bernadette scolds in a squeaky voice that intrigues and annoys Rita. She smiles apologetically at Rita. "I'm sorry."

Rita shakes her head, swallowing a mouthful of food. "Its okay, he's not bothering me at all. Its just a little overwhelming in here."

And Sheldon hasn't spoke to her.

He's been sitting in his spot and hasn't touched his food since she arrived, so it was cold and looked kind of greasy, stale. She doubted he would eat it now but she was curious as to if he was still seeing the food from whatever corner of his mind he was tucked into.

"Understandable," Leonard murmurs around a mouthful of food. "This is the first time you've been out of that apartment besides going to the doctor to have your bandages removed, huh?"

Rita sighs, lowers her food into her lap. "Yes," she licks her bottom lip. "This is a good step and slow but I don't know how much longer I'll stay here."

"Aw," Penny whines. "Rita, come on -"

"Its only logical she return soon," all eyes move to Sheldon, who is giving them all a somber look. "Don't want her to have a panic attack, hmm? That'd be worse than the scar, it'll certainly feel worse."

"**Sheldon**," Penny snarls, putting her food down. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Sheldon blinks once, twice. "What? I'm only stating facts. Do you _want _to rush her to the hospital tonight? An injury so close to her brain would likely cause a chain reaction from the panic attack and I find that very cruel."

"I'm gonna kick you in the knee cap," Penny snaps.

"_Penny_," Rita murmurs. "He's right."

Sheldon gave Penny his usual smug look and she glared at him, annoyed. "Don't say that out loud," Penny grumbles, trying to bury herself in her food. "If his ego gets any bigger, his head might pop."

Rita chuckled while Sheldon scowled. "Gotcha," she gave everyone an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, but I think I'm gonna go lie down. Its been a long day for me."

"I'll walk you across the hall," Sheldon put his food aside and stood.

Rita hesitated and nodded, closing up her food and holding it with both hands. "Okay then," she jerked her chin towards the door. "You lead."

He bobbed his head once and weaved around Bernadette, Howard and Raj's legs, holding the door open for Rita, who murmured goodbye in passing. Everyone stared at the door when they shut it but no one said anything, mainly because they were too confused to speak properly and they knew it.

"This is me," Rita attempted a joke, inhaling deeply through her nose. "Thank you," she bowed her head and turned to the door.

Her hand on the doorknob, she froze, because Sheldon grabbed her forearm tightly. Her heart rate immediately picked up and her palms broke out into a heady sweat, prepared to take flight or punch him. But his face was just of simple curiosity and Rita tried to calm herself despite the ingrained fear of being harmed any further. But Sheldon didn't have the signs, he wasn't as big as him either, she could probably outrun him.

Her thoughts turned paranoid, she almost forgot he had been talking to her.

"I would. . ." Sheldon started then faded, seeming to lose his train of thought.

Rita's eyes flickered around his face and she smiled a little. That morning talk with Penny about what to do with Sheldon - him _touching her _\- had her thinking. But right now, she wasn't thinking when she pressed a chaste kiss to his right cheek.

He paled on contact and his whole body tensed, while Rita tried not to have a heart attack of her own. She pushed her hair back from her face and bobbed her head once.

"Goodnight, Sheldon," she murmured, opening the apartment door.

Sheldon stood there for a long moment, finally coming too when he heard a loud click in his ears. "Good. . ." He realized he was alone in the hallway. "Night," he sighed.


	6. Chapter 6

They don't see her for a week.

When they do, she's with Penny outside the comic book store and she has ballet equipment with her. She looks brighter, _happier_, and so does Penny.

"Glad to see you out of that apartment," Leonard gave her a reassuring smile. "Dancing again?"

Rita nodded softly, adjusting the duffle over her shoulder; her ballet skirt draped down to her knees. "There's a studio just down the road. They had an opening," she reached up, fingers lingering around her eye and everyone understood the unspoken implication. She dropped her hand immediately and continued to smile. "Everyone's really sweet and its a positive atmosphere. I signed up today."

"That's good," Raj chirped, fingers tapping on the back of the comic in his hand. "I've always wanted to try out there. They have a male -"

Howard elbowed him, rolling his eyes despite Raj's glare. "So, we're doing lunch," Howard grinned. "Care to join us?"

Rita actually smiled broadly this time, cheeks flushed with excitement. "Sure," she looked to Penny. "You're coming right?"

Penny chuckled. "Of course," she placed a hand on Rita's shoulder. "But I have to run one more errand so you mind spending a half hour with these guys?"

Rita hesitated, looking over at Sheldon, who was staring down at his comic book with as much excitement as she had when she was accepted at the studio. She smiled a little and looked back at Penny, who had that knowing glint in her eye; she'd never hear the end of this one and she didn't mind one bit.

"Sure," Rita shrugged. "Just don't be too long."

Penny pat her shoulder and nodded at the boys. "Half hour, I'll text you guys."

Leonard was the one to nod and Penny pecked him on the cheek before heading down the opposite direction on the sidewalk. Leonard looked over at Rita, who appeared to be filling out, had one time at a dance studio really helped that much? Apparently so.

"Lets go guys," Leonard bobbed his head.

Rita fell in step beside Sheldon subconsciously, Leonard just in front of her with Raj and Howard taking lead. She watched them talking animatedly to each other and the sight warmed her, seeing two people so close. She had hears Penny and Leonard being all cute-couple-like in the living room the other night and it was pleasing to know there were still decent people filled with so much trust and love for each other.

The neutral party seemed to be Rita and Sheldon.

She blames the attraction to an oddly angled, oddly demented person like Sheldon Cooper on circumstance.

"Your handicap did not hinder your performance, I'm assuming," Sheldon spoke up then, not missing a beat as he glances down at little Rita.

She looked up at him, feeling that odd way at his backhanded comment. "Actually yes," she paused. "But the instructor said I could work through it. So I'm going to try."

Silence.

Well, relatively. They _were _walking down a busy street after all, there was no way for it to be completely silence. The shift made Rita very uncomfortable, but she wouldn't say anything.

"I'm..._glad_ you are getting back on your feet."

Rita looked back up at him, fingers tightening around the duffel strap. "Thank you, Sheldon," she murmured.

He didn't say anything in response, and she was just fine with that.

* * *

"Uh, excuse me?"

Rita sighed and looked over at Penny where she sat on the end of Rita's bed. Several outfits were scattered around Penny but she wasn't helping Rita pick one, she was still confused even after a half hour of explaining.

Rita had a date.

And not with a stranger.

"Sheldon asked me out for dinner," Rita spoke slowly. "Why is that so confusing?"

Penny deadpanned. "You're kidding me, right?"

Rita paused, twisting slightly in the mirror; red and tight on the hips, but not obscene. "Okay," she started. "I understand. He's weird and he's cynical," she raked her hair back into a long braid, tying off the end with a black tie. "But I actually feel comfortable with him and I'm gonna go. He's nothing like..."

When she didn't finish, Penny frowned at her limp posture and pained expression in the mirror. Penny stood and approached her best friend, placing her hands on her shoulders and smiling at her in the mirror.

"You look pretty," Penny assured her.

Rita smiled a little. "My eye," she murmured.

Penny pat her arm and turned, headed for the bathroom. "Let's tape it over."

Rita nodded and followed her slowly, her feet shuffling bare over the carpet. She still needed shoes and maybe a xanax, she was nervous. It was a little much for her, but something said it was okay to be going with Sheldon. If he had any devious plans, she was pretty sure she could overpower him and get away, then Penny would hurt him for her. But Rita wouldn't let Penny get in trouble for her. Sheldon wasn't like her ex, he was the complete bloody opposite.

She didn't have to worry.

Penny had her sit on the edge of her tub as she meticulously put a bandage over her eye, cutting her perception in half. "If you need me," Penny started, closing the first aid kit. "Just call."

Rita nodded and stood. "Gotcha."

The familiar knock sounded at the door and while Penny rolled her eyes, Rita chuckled. The knock was annoying for sure, but routine was perfect for her.

"Go answer him," Rita stood. "I'm going to get my shoes."

Penny nodded and they split in the hallway, Penny arching an eyebrow when she saw the way Sheldon was dressed. He was dressed in formal wear, but not the normal way where he looked like carpet from the 70's. He looked slightly annoyed that it was Penny, but she was used to him always looking annoyed so she just waved him in.

"She's coming," was all she said, closing the door softly.

He didn't sit. "Obviously," he murmured.

Penny leaned back on the door, arms crossed over her chest; he grew uncomfortable at her staring but didn't look at her. "Why'd you ask Rita out?"

He looked at her then. "An experiment," he stated bluntly.

Penny ground her teeth together. "You're a douche."

Sheldon rolled his eyes. "I am not going to be poking her with needles and hooking her up to machines. A social experiment. A plain evening to test some grounds."

Penny paused but didn't have time to say anything else, she heard Rita coming. The young woman looked rather uncomfortable, smiling sheepishly when she saw Sheldon. She clasped her hands in front of her as she stood beside Penny, doing a small rotation.

"I'm ready," she said, voice just above a whisper.

Sheldon nodded once. "I see that," he waved a hand at the door that Penny was holding open. "Shall we?"

Rita smiled and stepped out first, looking back at Penny as Sheldon slipped out second. She had this very, very confused look on her face and Rita almost chuckled.

"I'll call you when we're on our way home," Rita promised.

Penny blinked out of whatever plane she was in and smiled in a co fused way. "Gotcha," lame.

Rita wasn't fazed, just waved a hand and went to catch up to Sheldon, who had already descended the stairs.

* * *

_**I just can't seem to get into long chapters with this fandom.**_


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